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Super Mario Kart 8+
Super Mario Kart 8 plus
North American box art
Developer(s) Nintendo EPD,
Existence Software
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Distributor(s) Nintendo
Platform(s) Nintendo Switch
Genre(s) Kart racing
Series Mario Kart series
Predecessor Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Release Date(s) Worldwide March 3, 2017
Mode(s) 1-4 players locally,
1-8 players via wireless network connection,
1-12 players via online connection
Age Rating(s) E for Everyone (ESRB)
3 (PEGI)
A (CERO)
Media Included Nintendo Switch Cartridge

Super Mario Kart 8+ (Japanese: スーパーマリオカート8+ Super Mario Kart 8+), stylized as Super Mario Kart 8+, is an enhanced port of/pseudo-sequel to the 2014 Wii U title Mario Kart 8 released for the Nintendo Switch. The game includes all features present in the original Mario Kart 8, including all DLC, alongside a new Battle Mode and several other changes. The game will be released March 3, 2017 as a launch title for the Switch. Much like the original Mario Kart 8 did, Super Mario Kart 8+ will have downloadable content packs released after the game's initial launch, with all packs featuring crossover content with other Nintendo franchises.

Being an enhanced port, Super Mario Kart 8+ features similar graphics and gameplay as the original game. Aside from various additions - such as new characters, courses, and items - the game's engine has been optimized, and no longer drops frames as often. The game has also been optimized so that all details remain between the single player and multiplayer modes of the game, whereas previous games may have needed to remove some to allow the game to run without issues.

Gameplay

Maintaining most elements from previous Mario Kart games, Super Mario Kart 8+ is a kart-racing video game with a heavy emphasis on using items to hinder opposing racers. Players pick a character, which is placed in one of six different weight classes that determine the base stats of the character's vehicle. Players are then able to mix-and-match different customization pieces in order to create their vehicle, which they will then use to race around various obstacle course-like racetracks in an attempt to place first out of twelve other racers. Players receive different amounts of points depending on their position at the end of the race; with the winner of the Grand Prix determined by the one with the most points overall.

During a race, racers can drive through Item Boxes to be granted an item through a roulette. As previously stated, these items are the main focus of a race, as using them may hinder other racers and/or aid the player. These items vary in usefulness depending on the distance from the current frontrunner; with racers closer to the frontrunner receiving less-powerful items (i.e. Banana Peels or Green Shells), while racers furthest from the frontrunner receiving the most powerful items in the game (i.e. Spiny Shell and Lightning). Unlike in the original Mario Kart 8, players may carry two items at once; Double Item Boxes also return from Double Dash!!, which fill both of the player's item slots simultaneously.

All four vehicle classes from Mario Kart 8 return for its port; these being the kart, inside-drifting bike, outside-drifting bike, and ATV. As with its Wii U counterpart, the bikes of Super Mario Kart 8+ handle much differently from their Mario Kart Wii counterparts, instead handling very similarly to the karts and only performing wheelies - now purely aesthetic - when boosting.

Point spread comparison
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Super Mario Kart
Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
9 6 3 1 0 0 0 0 - - - -
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Mario Kart DS
10 8 6 4 3 2 1 0 - - - -
Mario Kart Wii 15 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Mario Kart 7 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 - - - -
Mario Kart 8
Super Mario Kart 8+
15 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Gold background signifies victory results, with a unique winning animation and music.

Silver background signifies moderate win results.

Bronze background signifies losing results, with losing animations and music.

Battle Mode

Battle Mode has been completely revamped from the original Mario Kart 8, and has been made more akin to those found in earlier Mario Kart titles. There are six different modes that players can play in this Battle Mode: Balloon Battle, Coin Runners, Bob-omb Blast, and the all-new Piranha Picnic, Bowser Party, and Crown Captor modes.

In Balloon Battle, all players begin with five balloons attached to their kart, and will lose one each time they are hit by an item. Players must battle it out to make other battlers lose their balloons, or they can steal them by boosting into opponents using a Mushroom. Once a player has lost all their balloons, they will respawn, but will lose half of their score in the process. The winner of the battle is the player with the highest score - or the player who has hit the most opponents while having also avoided losing all their's in the process.

In Coin Runners, the objective of the game is to collect the most coins, as there are coins scattered about the entire course. Once hit by an item, a battler may drop a percentage of coins, ranging from 20%-50% depending on their current placement in the standings. All 12 racers begin the battle with five coins each, and an additional 140 will spawn randomly on the stage for a total of 200 coins.

Bob-omb Blast, which was last seen in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, also returns in this game. In this mode, players can only receive Bob-ombs, and can carry up to ten at a time. The objective is to blow up opponents using bombs, gaining a point when they do but also losing one should they be hit as well.

Piranha Picnic is a new game mode. In essence, the mode is very similar to Bob-omb Blast, in that only one item can be obtained and used throughout the battle. Piranha Picnic permanently fixes a Potted Piranha Plant on the front of each battler's vehicle. The goal is to collect points by biting other battlers, though the battlers can also lose points by being bitten.

In the new Bowser Party game mode, battlers must take over three points located across the stage. These places feature large Goombas that must be defeated in order to conquer the area, which can be done by hitting it with items. The Goomba, which becomes coloured to match the battler's UI colour, acts as the flag and this King of the Hill-styled mode. The battler gains one point per every captured Goomba every two seconds.

Finally, the all-new Crown Captor mode is similar to the Shine Runner mode from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. A large crown will spawn somewhere on the map, and a player gains points as they hold on to it (which they can do by running into it, after which they wear it). The player who wears the crown can not get any items, and will drop it when they are hit by an item. After a set period of time - 20 seconds - the crown will respawn somewhere else on the map.

Time limits can be set for each mode, or can be removed entirely and replaced with a score limit. All modes have a default timer of 2 minutes, allowing for fast games.

Battle Stages

Unlike Mario Kart 8, which had players participating on normal race courses in Battle Mode, Super Mario Kart 8+ returns to the original formula of having dedicated courses for Battle Mode. There are a total of nine different Battle Stages present in the base game, with an additional three released through DLC. Four of the Battle Stages included in the base game return from previous Mario Kart titles.

Baloon
Battle Stages
Battle Stadium Sunshine Runway Peach Pier
Airship Deck Moo Moo Pasture SNES Battle Course 1
3DS Sherbet Rink DS Tart Top N64 Block Fort


Battle Stadium is set within a stadium that looks identical to the one in which Mario Kart Stadium is set; though Battle Stadium is set during the day. Battle Stadium resembles a monster truck arena, as the stage is covered in dirt and includes many jumps off which the Item Boxes are located. The music that plays on this stage is a remix of the Waluigi Stadium theme from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Sunshine Runway is set within the Sunshine Airport race course. The battle takes place primarily on a long strip of pavement - the airport's runway - though there are grass patches on the left and right of it. There is also an airplane parked near the back of the stage, which battlers can get on to by using jumps located to its sides. The music used on the stage is a remix of the Coconut Mall theme from Mario Kart Wii.

Peach Pier is set within the same city as Toad Harbor, along a pier that directly faces the large statue of Princess Peach. Battlers can race on the pier and the loading area it protrudes from, or battle underwater. The underwater segment includes a number of small hills and Sidesteppers that can spin out players. The music that player on this stage is a remix of the Peach Beach theme from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Airship Deck is, as its name would imply, set on the deck of one of Bowser's airships. The airship has ramps on both the bow and stern of the ship, which lead up to small platforms. The Cloudtop Cruise battle course can be seen in the background of the stage, though it may be difficult to view as it is cloudier and set at night. Its theme is a remix of the Airship Fortress theme from Mario Kart DS.

Moo Moo Pasture is set in a small fenced-off pasture, with rolling hills. Cows wander the pasture, though will act as walls and not spin out the players that hit them. Monty Moles will dig through the ground, and players can trick off the trails they leave behind. Its theme is a remix of the Moo Moo Farm theme from Mario Kart 64.

SNES Battle Course 1 returns from Super Mario Kart. While its layout is the same, it now takes design cues from SNES Donut Plains 3, which appears as a retro race course. The battle ground now features a paved flooring, and the small outcroppings on each wall contain a large jump that launch battlers into the centre of the map. The rough patch of dirt in the centre of the map remains, though wooden pathways have been added across it to allow battlers quick access of the items resting atop it.

3DS Sherbet Rink returns from Mario Kart 7. Aside from a graphical upgrade and the removal of the Snowmen, the stage is unchanged.

DS Tart Top returns from Mario Kart DS. It has seen a massive overhaul in aesthetic design, as the tart on which racers battle is now located in a bakery. Additionally, the wall of the tart can now be driven on, as the entire stage is now set in zero gravity, and several Item Boxes will now travel along it in sets of three. The cream puffs no longer splatter the player's screen with icing. The music is a remix of the theme that plays in Sweet Sweet Canyon.

N64 Block Fort returns from Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart DS, and is the only returning battle stage to have previously appeared as a retro stage in another game. Block Fort's design remains mostly unchanged, though the bases of each platform now have gliding ramps that allow the battlers to glide to the platform diagonal to it, and collect Item Boxes that float in the sky. Because of this, the stage has been made much better. Additionally, the four large plateaus are now stylized after Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy, having been recoloured red, green, pink, and yellow and now including their emblem on the top alongside other minor details. The music for the stage is a remix of the theme that plays on all battle stages in Mario Kart DS.

Baloon2
DLC Battle Stages
Inkopolis GBA Battle Course 2
Mario Stadium Peach's Castle Courtyard
Wii Funky Stadium GCN Pipe Plaza

Inkopolis is a replica of the main hub area from the 2015 Wii U game Splatoon: Inkopolis. The battle stage is identical to the original plaza, though several changes have been made to allow for land vehicles to easily traverse it. Some of the barriers around the staircase have been removed, while the staircase itself has been replaced with a ramp. Aside from this, and the fact that the plaza's general size has been greatly increased to allow for more room to battle, the plaza remains mostly unchanged.

GBA Battle Course 2 returns from Mario Kart: Super Circuit. While in that game the stage was set on a on a metallic square-shaped platform, the version in Super Mario Kart 8+ reimagines it as taking place on two large rocks floating in a river of lava overlooked by Bowser's Castle. The bigger rock is a large circle, with jumps that allow battlers to get onto the smaller rock floating within the centre of it. The larger hole has four large chunks missing from it that battlers must avoid or risk falling into lava.

Mario Stadium is set within the stadium of the same name from Mario Super Sluggers. Battlers have access to the full field on which the baseball game is held, and the pitcher's mount acts like a jump. There are a small number of Item Boxes on this stage, though they rotate around the bases as if running them. Though the outfield is covered in grass, it does not slow battlers down at all; though the Foul Territory does. The music that plays on this stage is a remix of the one that plays on Mario Stadium in Mario Superstars Baseball.

Peach's Castle Courtyard is set within the courtyard of Princess Peach's castle, as it appeared in Super Mario 64. There are various paths on which battlers can drive with no issue, and racers can even battle underwater within the small beach to the south of the castle and the moat surrounding it. It is the largest battle stage in the game. The stage's music is a remix of the Bob-omb Battlefield theme from Super Mario 64.

Wii Funky Stadium returns from Mario Kart Wii, with minimal changes aside from a graphical update. The small areas around the border that players can get up onto via ramps have been removed, and instead the curved walls of the stadium have been made higher and allow for anti-gravity driving.

GCN Pipe Plaza returns from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Just as in the beta of Mario Kart DS, Pipe Plaza is now set at sunset, and at the bottom of a construction site. While the battle arena itself remains unchanged, sans for being made larger, there are many more aesthetic details in the area surrounding it.

Race Courses

There are a total of 56 race courses in the game. All 48 from Mario Kart 8, including those released as DLC, return, though some courses have received minor alterations. Unlike in Mario Kart 8, where some courses (such as Toad Harbor/Toad Harbour and Neo Bowser City/Koopa City) had different English names depending on the game's region, all courses now share the same name between regions.

Two new Cups have been added - the Cherry Cup, which features the Double Cherry as its logo, and the Feather Cup, which features the Cape Feather.

SuperMushroomNSMB2
Mushroom Cup
Mario Kart Stadium Water Park Sweet Sweet Canyon Thwomp Ruins
Fire Flower NSMB2
Flower Cup
Mario Circuit Toad Harbor Twisted Mansion Shy Guy Falls
StarMK8
Star Cup
Sunshine Airport Dolphin Shoals Electrodrome Mount Wario
Special Cup
Special Cup
Cloudtop Cruise Bone-Dry Dunes Bowser's Castle Rainbow Road
GreenShellMK8
Shell Cup
Wii Moo Moo Meadows GBA Mario Circuit DS Cheep Cheep Beach N64 Toad's Turnpike
BananaMK8
Banana Cup
GCN Dry Dry Desert SNES Donut Plains 3 N64 Royal Raceway 3DS DK Jungle
Super Leaf NSMB2
Leaf Cup
DS Wario Stadium GCN Sherbet Land 3DS Music Park N64 Yoshi Valley
LightningBoltMK8
Lightning Cup
DS Tick-Tock Clock 3DS Piranha Plant Slide Wii Grumble Volcano N64 Rainbow Road
YoshiEggNSMBW
Egg Cup
GCN Yoshi Circuit Excitebike Arena Dragon Driftway Mute City
ALBW Triforce
Triforce Cup
Wii Wario's Gold Mine SNES Rainbow Road Ice Ice Outpost Hyrule Circuit
VUMN5Qg
Crossing Cup
GCN Baby Park GBA Cheese Land Wild Woods Animal Crossing
CatBell - SuperMario3DWorld
Bell Cup
3DS Neo Bowser City GBA Ribbon Road Super Bell Subway Big Blue
DoubleCherry
Cherry Cup
NEW
Dry Dry Outpost Yoshi Mound Blizzard Badlands SNES Choco Island 2
MK8 Deluxe Art - Cape Feather
Feather Cup
NEW
Royal Resort Wii Daisy Circuit GBA Sunset Wilds 3DS Wario Shipyard


Dry Dry Outpost is set in an around a small desert town occupied primarily by Dry Bones. The course twists and turns through the town's paths, and racers must dodge various pots and crates scattered in their way. A large Yoshi Sphinx watches over the finish line, and the racers end a lap by climbing up the sphinx's scaffolding before jumping off and over a pit of quicksand.

Yoshi Mound is a small forested course where Yoshis roam. A very simple course, racers simply dodge trees as they travel in a zig-zag pattern across a variety of hills and around flowerbeds that slow down racers. Near the end of the course, the path splits into two directions and players must choose whether to travel through a small cave or through an underwater recess to reach the finish line.

Blizzard Badlands is set on an icy mountain. Boulders are launched from the mountain's peak as racers drive across treacherous paths dug into the mountain's side and held up by weak wooden platforms. A single-lapped course, players race up the mountain, cutting through various icy caves inhabited by Swoops and dodging snowmen before gliding off the mountain's peak and towards a platform held up by large balloons.

SNES Choco Island 2 returns from Super Mario Kart. While its layout remains fairly similar to its original design, it now takes aesthetic design cues from Sweet Sweet Canyon, as large piles of candies and sweets border the course and Toad-shaped Gingerbread cookies watch from the sides. The course has been altered to take place almost entirely in zero gravity, as the course's path has been set around a large chocolate volcano. The chocolate lake present in the original has been removed, though has been replaced with a candy lake through which racers must drive.

Royal Resort is a beautiful resort located somewhere on Isle Delfino. Piantas and Nokis watch from behind barricades as racers dash across the sandy beach and through the five-star resort, crashing through its lobby and dining room and up to the second floor before jumping out of a large open window and through the ocean.

Wii Daisy Circuit returns from Mario Kart Wii and has seen minimal changes aside from a graphical update. The course is now set at night, and the lighthouse glows brightly to illuminate the course. In the town section, racers can now ride along the walls of the buildings and the area around the two statues of Luigi and Daisy and their baby counterparts now takes place in zero gravity as the roads are tilted at an angle. The shortcut, where players could cut through a house and use a jump near the beginning of the course, has been removed.

GBA Sunset Wilds returns from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and has undergone a major redesign. While the course is still set at sunset, it is instead set within a western-styled town. The large patches of mud have been removed, but cows now roam some of the empty areas; having escaped from their corral. Large barrels are placed in the way of the racers at some points in the track, forcing them to dodge those as they continue their race.

3DS Wario Shipyard returns from Mario Kart 7. Like the other courses that return from that game, Wario Shipyard has seen only very minor changes apart from a graphical upgrade. Where the Sidesteppers are, walls have been added to allow players to go on the walls and avoid them; though this is the only major change aside from the removal of the barrels.

Not-Shining Shine Sprite
Shine Cup
DLC
Luigi Circuit Delfino Market N64 Bowser's Castle Sand Ocean
SuperSeaSnail
Sea Snail Cup
DLC
GCN Peach Beach Urchin Underpass Gelato Square Wii Moonview Highway
3-UpMoon
Moon Cup
DLC
Swooper House 3DS Rosalina's Ice World Red Canyon GCN Wario Colosseum
Pikmin 5 Pellet SSB4
Pellet Cup
DLC
DS Peach Gardens DK Slalom GBA Broken Pier Garden of Hope
Propeller Box Artwork - Super Mario 3D World
Propeller Cup
DLC
Blurp Bay GCN Bowser's Castle Conkdor Canyon Topman Transitway
Red Switch Icon
Switch Cup
DLC
Shy Guy Carnival New Donk City SNES Vanilla Lake 2 GBA Rainbow Road

Luigi Circuit is set within a normal racecourse stadium: the course is shaped within a large 'L' shape. However, a large fissure has cracked through the stadium, and racers must drive down the wall of the cliff to make it to the other side of the track.

Delfino Market is similar to the course Coconut Mall from Mario Kart Wii in that it is set within a shopping area on Isle Delfino. Unlike Coconut Mall, Delfino Market is set outside, where racers must drive in-between stalls of fruit vendors, dodging crates, before going out towards a beach area and around a lighthouse back towards the market area.

N64 Bowser's Castle returns from Mario Kart 64. Like all other retro courses, the course has seen a number of aesthetic changes, including a more gothic design of the castle. The long spiral track around the tower has been changed to be an anti-gravity platform, and racers now must glide over a wall that has collapsed into lava and to the finish line.

Sand Ocean is inspired by the course of the same name from F-Zero. Sand Ocean is a winding course through the desert, where players race up a winding tomb in the middle of a desert set entirely in zero-gravity. The course's layout is somewhat simple despite its nature, and it only has a single lap for players to race. Near the end of the course, players must glide over a whirlpool of sand as they exit a pyramid.

GCN Peach Beach returns from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The course is now set at sundown, and the Cataquacks no longer catapult racers into the sky. The second route on the right side of the beach, but racers can now travel underwater, where Sidesteppers wander.

Urchin Underpass is heavily based upon the map of the same name from Splatoon; in fact, it features the same layout as the Turf War map, with some changes in order to allow for karts to race in addition to the stage being much larger. Racers start at one end of the stage and race to the other, up and down ramps and down the secret alley ways. The only real obstacles on the course are the trees located in the centre of the map and various puddles of ink that slow down racers when they drive in them.

Gelato Square is set within a wintery town celebrating a holiday. The course sees racers racing atop a series of house, jumping from one rooftop to another. Eventually, racers make their way off the buildings via a gliding jump and towards a skating ring. Finally, after getting off the skating rink, racers must travel up through scaffolding back to the rooftops.

Wii Moonview Highway returns from Mario Kart Wii. Aside from a graphical update, it remains mostly unchanged. The upper path, where racers can get on top of the hills surrounding the road, has been removed. The course uses the same cars as N64 Toad's Turnpike, meaning there are trucks with normal and gliding ramps that racers can jump off.

Swooper House is based on the Ghost Valley courses from Super Mario Kart. The course is set in and around a large haunted house and the boardwalk surrounding it; racers must drive through the house, up a large spiral ramp and up onto the house's roof. Once on the roof, they must drift off and onto a rickety boardwalk, where there are several holes that players can fall into. At the end of the course, racers must drive off the boardwalk and underwater, before climbing up a cliff and back to the start of the lap.

3DS Rosalina's Ice World returns from Mario Kart 7. Like all other courses from that game, it has seen very little change in the transition to Super Mario Kart 8+, with the only major change being the graphical upgrade.

Red Canyon is based upon the F-Zero course of the same name. Taking place within a desert world, racers drive along a stretch of asphalt that twists and turns around the spires of stone in zero gravity. From the starting line, there is an immediate incline as racers spiral around a large hill before curling down and travelling around the ground. In terms of the course's layout, it heavily resembles that of Red Canyon II from F-Zero, being a large rectangular course with several sharp turns at random intervals.

GCN Wario Colosseum from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. While the course still takes place within a stadium, it is now supported, with many beams holding up the course in the centre of a ring. Following the large jump that propels racers into the ring area, a majority of the course now takes place in zero gravity as racers twist and turn around each other. The only major change to the course's layout is at the end of the race, where the jump over the large pit has instead been replaced with a gliding jump.

3DS Peach Gardens returns from Mario Kart DS. While the course's layout is relatively the same as it was previously, some changes have been made. All of the Chain Chomps that wander the course have been removed, and replaced with some Monty Moles. The end of the course, where racers travel through a part of a castle, has been replaced with an anti-gravity segment where racers travel along the castle's wall instead.

DK Slalom, like Mount Wario, is set atop a snowy mountain. Unlike the aforementioned course however, DK Slalom is a 3-lap race. DK Slalom has racers up a portion of a snowy mountain, and along a thin path that can be easily fallen off of. Then, through a cave, racers go up to a ski lodge where Shy Guys and Toads cheer on racers. The racers then must travel back down the hill, on a path that leads through slalom poles that have boosts.

GBA Broken Pier returns from Mario Kart: Super Circuit. The layout of the course is essentially the same, though, like all other courses, there have been changes. The rickety parts of the bridge have been extended and made into underwater segments not unlike those on SNES Donut Plains 3. The thin segments that act as shortcuts have been removed. The small jump located beside the first of the underwater segments remains, and racers must now boost through a patch of dirt located underwater to reach it. Some Boos now fly around the course, though do not directly interfere with the race itself.

Garden of Hope is based on the Pikmin series, and the location of the same name. The starting line is located in a clearing where an Onion and the SS Drake is located; the starting line is placed in-between them. The racers must then traverse through a simple, albeit bumpy, path that leads to water. The race then continues underwater, and leads out onto a plateau that sticks out of the water; racers drive up the side of it in a zero gravity section that transitions into a glide that leads them onto a cliff that overlooks the starting line. Racers travel across this cliff, around the starting line, and to the east of the clearing, jumping between cliffs when necessary. From there, racers must either jump off the cliff onto the ground, or onto the back of a Bulborb and over a mound and onto a path that leads back to the finish line.

Blurp Bay is a very simple course based around a large lake. The race begins on a small island with a palm tree, before racers immediately dive down underwater and exit out into a cave, where racers must avoid a swarm of Swoops. After taking a number of quick turns, the racers must than exit out of the cave through another underwater passage that leads out onto a beach and around a curve. Racers then transition to a small raft where there's a glider jump that racers use to glide over to the finish line.

GCN Bowser's Castle returns from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and, like all other returning courses, sees some new changes. Upon entering the castle, racers can split onto two paths or onto walls just as in Thwomp Ruins. Then, the spiral ramp in the lava-bottomed room has been made into an anti-gravity ramp, and the room with the Fire Bar has been entirely removed. The way up to the roof is mostly the same, though the path has been made wider and is now an anti-gravity section. The area where the Bowser Golem was in the original course has been redesigned and the Bowser Golem is the same as the one found in Bowser's Castle; it now sits in the middle of the two paths and punches one side than the other in succession - racers can still drive around his fists though as there is still room around the area he punches. The way back to the finish line has also been altered in that there is no longer a jump to the mainland; racers now drop into the water, where Fishbones swim and drive back out again towards the finish line.

Conkdor Canyon is set in a large canyon. There are a number of dunes and quick turns that racers must take, though there are a number of jumps off the side of the course that racers can use a Mushroom to take a shortcut. The rocky road then splits into two, with one road going up onto a rocky cliff while the other staying low. Both roads run around each other, and the upper course later then transitions into a jump that leads into an area where Conkdors are located. The racers must then travel up a pyramid in anti-gravity, where they glide to the end of the course.

Topman Transitway is heavily based on the Wii game Super Mario Galaxy. Set on a twisting metallic road set in space, this single-lap course has racers travelling on a zero gravity roller coaster. At the start of the course, racers travel up a long slope that quickly turns into a straightaway and quickly down another large slope and off a gliding ramp. While gliding, racers must dodge asteroids by going through rings, which propel them to onto a bumpy metallic road that rotates around a planet with Octoombas. Eventually, racers make their way off the platform and onto the planet itself, where Topman spin around, trying to get in the way of racers. After dodging them, racers travel up a metallic spiral that leads back up into space and onto a curvy pathway that eventually ends up joining with the platform that the race began on, and reach the finish line.

Shy Guy Carnival is set within a large carnival with a Super Mario Bro. 2 theme. Racers must race through a number of different tents, dodging various barrels placed on the path. After traversing through three in a zig-zag pattern, racers than use a glider to jump over a hall of stands and towards a Ferris Wheel that racers drive around on a zero-gravity roller coaster-like path that goes up and down around the perimeter of the carnival and back off a glider another glider back to the finish line.

New Donk City is set within the sprawling city of the same name from Super Mario Odyssey. Racers travel across a variety of rooftops, starting on one circular one before crossing a red girder to reach one across from it. After traversing three in a row, racers than need to climb up the side of a building in zero gravity, before gliding off of its roof and onto another smaller building, which, again, connects to several more and eventually back to the starting line. The city bares little resemblance to the city from Super Mario Odyssey, and its original beta name, Waddlewing Heights, explains why it is set on a number of rooftops.

SNES Vanilla Lake returns from Super Mario Kart. Like the original track, it is still a circular course that is set around a hole in ice. Like the original version of the track, and not the version from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, there are ice-covered pipes that stick out of the ground around the first turn of the course; the others have been removed. The northwest corner of the course has been removed, and racers now must fall into the water to continue around the course. The icy path has been made noticeably larger, much like the other retro courses. The left side of the course, where racers originally needed to dodge around pipes using thin roads, has been redesigned, and Freezies are now spotted around the course.

GBA Rainbow Road returns from Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Aesthetically, the course resembles SNES Rainbow Road, though is set high in space above a planet like Rainbow Road. Bowser's Castle from Paper Mario also reappears in the background of the stage. The course has been altered in that the course is set entirely in zero gravity mode. There are now jumps on the second straightaway past the first U-turn, and on the straightaway on the opposite side from the startling line; because the course now twists and turns around itself in space, the shortcut, where racers must jump to a thin strip around the same area. Lastly, the area near the end of the course, where racers originally needed to jump across two chasms, has been redesigned so that racers may now glide over this area instead; though racers can still use jumps to hop these chasms like in the original version. Super Thwomps have also been placed around the course and, like in SNES Rainbow Road, create shockwaves when they crash into the ground.

Staff Ghosts

Course Staff Member Character Vehicle Combination
Body Wheels Glider
Mario Kart Stadium Nin★Chris Mario Sports Coupe Standard Super Glider
Water Park Nin★Massim Baby Luigi Mr. Scooty Roller Super Glider
Sweet Sweet Canyon Nin★Fausti Baby Peach Teddy Buggy Wood Peach Parasol
Thwomp Ruins Nin★Sophia Donkey Kong Varmint Monster Super Glider
Mario Circuit Nin★Sho Mario Standard Kart Standard Super Glider
Toad Harbor Nin★Alice Toadette Cat Crusier Retro Off-Road Plane Glider
Twisted Mansion Nin★Mark Luigi Mach 8 Slim Super Glider
Shy Guy Falls Nin★Frank Shy Guy Flame Rider Retro Off-Road Super Glider
Sunshine Airport Nin★Leonel Rosalina Circuit Special Standard Super Glider
Dolphin Shoals Nin★Skip Wendy Landship Wood Bowser Kite
Electrodrome Nin★Yuya Larry Sport Bike Monster Super Glider
Mount Wario Nin★Elena Waluigi The Duke Monster Wario Wing
Cloudtop Cruise Nin★Maria Baby Rosalina Biddybuggy Standard Super Glider
Bone-Dry Dunes Nin★Elena Morton Tri-Speeder Monster Super Glider
Bowser's Castle Nin★Polly Bowser Badwagon Standard Super Glider
Rainbow Road Nin★Mizuho Pink Gold Peach Comet Slim Super Glider
Wii Moo Moo Meadows Nin★Chris Daisy Varmint Hot Monster Super Glider
GBA Mario Circuit Nin★Rie Baby Mario Yoshi Bike Standard Super Glider
DS Cheep Cheep Beach Nin★Massim Koopa Troopa Steel Driver Slim Parachute
N64 Toad's Turnpike Nin★Alice Toad Standard Bike Standard Parachute
GCN Dry Dry Desert Nin★Maria Peach Standard Bike Slim Super Glider
SNES Donut Plains 3 Nin★Frank Lakitu Pipe Frame Monster MKTV Parafoil
N64 Royal Raceway Nin★Skip Peach Prancer Wood Peach Parasol
3DS DK Jungle Nin★Rie Donkey Kong Varmint Monster Super Glider
DS Wario Stadium Nin★Mizuho Wario Tri-Speeder Off-Road Wario Wing
GCN Sherbet Land Nin★Fausti Lemmy Sneeker Standard Super Glider
3DS Music Park Nin★Sho Baby Daisy Biddybuggy Standard Super Glider
N64 Yoshi Valley Nin★Mark Yoshi Wild Wiggler Standard Flower Glider
DS Tick-Tock Clock Nin★Sophia Iggy Standard Bike Monster Super Glider
3DS Piranha Plant Slide Nin★Polly Ludwig Jet Bike Slim Super Glider
Wii Grumble Volcano Nin★Yuya Roy Badwagon Off-Road Super Glider
N64 Rainbow Road Nin★Leonel Metal Mario Standard ATV Monster Super Glider
GCN Yoshi Circuit Nin★Adrien Red Yoshi B Dasher Standard Super Glider
Excitebike Arena Nin★Pedro Mario Standard Bike Slim Super Glider
Dragon Driftway Nin★Kaori Lakitu Varmint Monster Cloud Glider
Mute City Nin★Laura Mario Blue Falcon Roller Super Glider
Wii Wario's Gold Mine Nin★Pit Wario Standard Kart Monster Super Glider
SNES Rainbow Road Nin★Anne Cat Peach Cat Cruiser Retro Off-Road Super Glider
Ice Ice Outpost Nin★Pavel Tanooki Mario Tanooki Kart Monster Super Glider
Hyrule Circuit Nin★Claudi Link Master Cycle Triforce Tires Hylian Kite
GCN Baby Park Nin★Joost Baby Mario Biddybuggy Standard Super Glider
GBA Cheese Land Nin★Aracel Orange Yoshi Pipe Frame Monster Parafoil
Wild Woods Nin★Akira Male Villager Streetle Leaf Tires Paper Glider
Animal Crossing Nin★Marie Isabelle City Tripper Slim Paper Glider
3DS Neo Bowser City Nin★Guile Dry Bowser Bone Rattler Metal Super Glider
GBA Ribbon Road Nin★Guilia Female Villager Teddy Buggy Button Super Glider
Super Bell Subway Nin★Juliet Pink Shy Guy City Tripper Slim Super Glider
Big Blue Nin★Dylan Mario P-Wing Blue Standard Super Glider
Dry Dry Outpost Nin★Leonel Dry Bones Banisher Monster Swooper
Yoshi Mound Nin★Frank Black Yoshi Bumble V Standard Stingby Kite
Blizzard Badlands Nin★Kaori Nabbit Cloud 9 Slim Parafoil
SNES Choco Island 2 Nin★Laura Spike P-Wing Blue Standard Standard
Royal Resort Nin★Joost Honey Queen Birthday Girl Roller Peach Parasol
Wii Daisy Circuit Nin★Marie Daisy Dolphin Dasher Standard Playful Kite
GBA Sunset Wilds Nin★Guile Diddy Kong Barrel Train Standard Cloud Glider
3DS Wario Shipyard Nin★Sho Toadsworth Tri-Speeder Mushroom Super Glider
Luigi Circuit Nin★Joost Luigi Standard Bike Standard Super Glider
Delfino Market Nin★Akira Marie Standard Bike Slick Playful Kite
N64 Bowser's Castle Nin★Pedro Bowser Jr. Koopa Clown Standard Bowser Kite
Sand Ocean Nin★Massim Wiggler Cloud 9 Mushroom Cloud Glider
GCN Peach Beach Nin★Alice Birdo Birthday Girl Retro Off-Road Super Glider
Urchin Underpass Nin★Skip Callie Standard ATV Standard Super Glider
Gelato Square Nin★Elena Ashley Magikruiser Wood Waddle Wing
Wii Moonview Highway Nin★Frank King Boo Piranha Prowler Monster Swooper
Swooper House Nin★Mark Petey Piranha Zipper Standard Swooper
3DS Rosalina's Ice World Nin★Rie Rosalina Shooting Star Azure Roller Super Glider
Red Canyon Nin★Mizuho Tostarenan Rambi Rider Standard Plane Glider
GCN Wario Colosseum Nin★Polly Wario Gold Standard Gold Tires Gold Glider
DS Peach Gardens Nin★Fausti Zelda Guardian Husk Blue Standard Hylian Kite
DK Slalom Nin★Polly Boom Boom Wild Wiggler Hot Monster Stingby Kite
GBA Broken Pier Nin★Guile Paratroopa Sport Bike Crimson Slim Parachute
Garden of Hope Nin★Aracel Olimar Standard Kart Standard Super Glider
Blurp Bay Nin★Sophia Pianta City Tripper Azure Roller Cloud Glider
GCN Bowser's Castle Nin★Marie Bowser Bowser Mobile Monster Bowser Kite
Conkdor Canyon Nin★Skip Pom Pom Bumble V Off-Road Standard
Topman Transitway Nin★Chris Honey Queen Bumble V Groovy Stinby Kite
Shy Guy Carnival Nin★Pavel Spring Man B Dasher Cyber Slick MKTV Parafoil
New Donk City Nin★Pedro Donkey Kong Rambi Rider Monster Waddle Wing
SNES Vanilla Lake 2 Nin★Mark Funky Kong Circuit Special Metal Plane Glider
GBA Rainbow Road Nin★Sho King Bob-omb Koopa Clown Monster Swooper

Playable Characters

In addition to the characters that were included in the original Mario Kart 8 (as well as those released in DLC packages), the game includes twelve new characters that were not present in the original game, which include four characters that have never before been included in a Mario Kart title. Characters are broken up into three weight classes, with their stats being changed to further categorize them. There are Lightweight, Middleweight, and Heavyweight racers, which can be further divided into Feather, Light, Medium, Standard, Cruiser, and Heavy.

The different variants of the Villager now occupy separate slots on the character select screen, meaning both the female and male versions of the character may appear as CPU racers in a single race.

Lemmy, Larry, Wendy, Iggy, Ludwig, Roy, Morton, Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Wiggler, Honey Queen, Spike, Ashley, and King Bob-omb are all unlockable characters. The seven Koopalings, Baby Rosalina, and Pink Gold Peach are unlocked at random by placing in first place on cups in 100cc or 150cc; Wiggler, Honey Queen, and Ashley are unlocked at random by placing in first place on cups in 200cc; Spike is unlocked by beating the Staff Ghosts on all courses in the Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special Cups; and King Bob-omb is unlocked by beating the Staff Ghosts on all courses in the Shell, Banana, Leaf, and Lightning Cups.

Mario Kart 8 Drivers

New Drivers

Alternate colour variants

Alternate colour variations of characters occupy the same slot as their original on the character select screen. When their icon is chosen, a separate menu will open up to allow players to choose which colour of the character they wish to play as. The alternate colour variations have the same stats and animations as their normal counterparts, with their changes being purely cosmetic.

The alternate colour variants for Toad, Dry Bones, and Pianta are based on those they had in Mario Super Sluggers.

Downloadable Drivers

The six Sprixie Princesses are identical to the normal Green Sprixie Princess available in the base game. Like other characters with multiple different variants, they are chosen by selecting the Green Sprixie Princess on the character select screen, after which a separate menu will appear to allow players to choose which princess they wish to play as.

Character Statistics

Base Stats

A majority of the playable characters from each weight class share the same base stats, though some characters may have unique ones. While the player creates their vehicle, they can toggle a chart to show five main stats, while an additional seven are present in the game's data but can not be viewed in-game.

The five "main" stats, which can be viewed in-game, are as follows:

  • Speed: The top speed of a vehicle when travelling across the normal ground.
  • Acceleration: The rate it takes the vehicle to reach top speed from a standing position.
  • Weight: The weight of a vehicle. Racers can knock away vehicles lighter than their's by running into them.
  • Handling: The amount of control a racer has over their vehicle. A higher handling stat means that vehicles turn sharper.
  • Traction/Grip: The amount of grip the vehicle has on normal terrain.

The seven additional stats, that are only present in the game's data, are:

  • Water Speed: The top speed of a vehicle when travelling underwater.
  • Air Speed: The top speed of a vehicle while gliding.
  • Anti-Gravity Speed: The top speed of a vehicle in anti-gravity segments.
  • Water Handling: The amount of control over the vehicle's turning ability the racer has while underwater.
  • Air Handling: The amount of control over the vehicle's turning ability the racer has while gliding.
  • Anti-Gravity Handling: The amount of control over the vehicle's turning ability the racer has while on an anti-gravity segment.
  • Mini-Turbo: The length of a vehicle's mini-turbo, activated after drifting.

The following values are shown out of 6, and a majority have been taken from the Mario Wiki's "Mario Kart 8" page. The stats report information based on using the three basic vehicle parts: the Standard Tires, Standard Kart, and Super Glider.

Character Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Paratroopa 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.75 3.25 2 4.75 4.5 5 4.75 4.5 3.5
Sprixie Princess 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.75 3.25 2 4.75 4.5 5 4.75 4.5 3.5
Baby Mario 2.25 2.75 2.25 2.5 3.25 2.25 4.75 4.75 4.5 5 4.5 3.5
Baby Luigi 2.25 2.75 2.25 2.5 3.25 2.25 4.75 4.75 4.5 5 4.5 3.5
Baby Peach 2.25 2.75 2.25 2.5 3.25 2.25 4.75 4.75 4.5 5 4.5 3.5
Baby Daisy 2.25 2.75 2.25 2.5 3.25 2.25 4.75 4.75 4.5 5 4.5 3.5
Baby Rosalina 2.25 2.75 2.25 2.5 3.25 2.25 4.75 4.75 4.5 5 4.5 3.5
Lemmy 2.25 2.75 2.25 2.5 3.25 2.25 4.75 4.75 4.5 5 4.5 3.5
Toad 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Captain Toad 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Toadette 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Koopa Troopa 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Shy Guy 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Lakitu 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Larry 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Wendy 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Isabelle 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Toadsworth 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Spike 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Dry Bones 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Tostarenan 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Olimar 2.75 3.25 2.75 3 3 2.75 4.25 4.25 4 4.5 4.25 3.25
Cat Peach 3.25 3.75 3.25 2.5 2 2 2.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3.25
Female Villager 3.25 3.75 3.25 2.5 2 2 2.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3.25
Bowser Jr. 3.25 3.75 3.25 2.5 2 2 2.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3.25
Diddy Kong 3.25 3.75 3.25 2.5 2 2 2.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3.25
Ashley 3.25 3.75 3.25 2.5 2 2 2.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3.25
Yarn Yoshi 3.25 3.75 3.25 2.5 2 2 2.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3.25
Peach 3.25 3.75 3.25 3.5 2.75 3.25 3.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3
Daisy 3.25 3.75 3.25 3.5 2.75 3.25 3.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3
Yoshi 3.25 3.75 3.25 3.5 2.75 3.25 3.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3
Callie 3.25 3.75 3.25 3.5 2.75 3.25 3.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3
Marie 3.25 3.75 3.25 3.5 2.75 3.25 3.75 3.75 3.5 4 4 3
Tanooki Mario 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.75 3.5 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 3
Male Villager 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.75 3.5 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 3
Birdo 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.75 3.5 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 3
Nabbit 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.75 3.5 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 3
Boomerang Peach 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.75 3.5 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 3
Mario 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.5 3.75 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 2.75
Luigi 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.5 3.75 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 2.75
Iggy 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.5 3.75 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 2.75
Ludwig 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.5 3.75 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 2.75
Spring Man 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.5 3.75 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 2.75
Fire Mario 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.5 3.75 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 2.75
Ice Luigi 3.75 4.25 3.75 4 2.5 3.75 3.25 3.25 3 3.5 3.75 2.75
King Boo 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4 3 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Wiggler 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4 3 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Pom Pom 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4 3 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Funky Kong 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4 3 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Rosalina 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4.25 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Donkey Kong 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4.25 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Waluigi 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4.25 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Roy 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4.25 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Link 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4.25 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Zelda 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4.25 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Meowser 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2.25 4.25 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.5 2.5
Metal Mario 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2 4.75 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.25 2.25
Pink Gold Peach 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2 4.75 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.25 2.25
Silver Luigi 4.25 4.75 4.25 4.5 2 4.75 2.75 2.75 2.5 3 3.25 2.25
Bowser 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
Wario 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
Morton 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
Dry Bowser 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
Honey Queen 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
Pianta 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
King Bob-omb 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
Boom Boom 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
Petey Piranha 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25
Gold Mario 4.75 5.25 4.75 5 2 4.75 2.25 2.25 2 2.5 3.25 2.25

Body Sizes

The size of a racer's vehicle body changes depending on their size, and this can also be a hindrance or a help to them. While a fairly minor change, the size of the vehicle's body also determines the size of a vehicle's hitbox; thus, smaller vehicles would have an easier time dodging stationary items than larger ones. The size of a vehicle's body is not consistent with their weight class, though most racers in a single weight class share the same body size.

Character Size
Small Medium Large
Mario
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Luigi
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Peach
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Daisy
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Yoshi
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Baby Mario
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Baby Luigi
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Baby Peach
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Baby Daisy
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Baby Rosalina
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Toad
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Toadette
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Toadsworth
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Captain Toad
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Spike
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Larry
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Morton
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Wendy
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Iggy
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Roy
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Lemmy
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Ludwig
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Koopa Troopa
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Shy Guy
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Lakitu
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Paratroopa
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Dry Bones
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Sprixie Princess
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Tostarenan
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Cat Peach
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Tanooki Mario
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Diddy Kong
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Bowser Jr.
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Birdo
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Nabbit
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Metal Mario
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Pink Gold Peach
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Donkey Kong
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Rosalina
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Waluigi
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Bowser
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Wario
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Dry Bowser
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King Boo
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Wiggler
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Honey Queen
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Pianta
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King Bob-omb
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Boom Boom
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Pom Pom
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Funky Kong
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Petey Piranha
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Ashley
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Isabelle
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Olimar
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Male Villager
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Female Villager
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Link
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Zelda
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Callie
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Marie
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Spring Man
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Meowser
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Silver Luigi
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Gold Mario
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Boomerang Peach
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Fire Mario
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Ice Luigi
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Yarn Yoshi
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Non-playable Characters

Hazards

Hazard Description Appearances
Barrel
Barrel
A stationary barrel that may release a Green Shell, Mushroom, or Banana when broken. They will respawn after a short time. An aesthetic variant also exists, which has "DK" printed on one side in bold letters.
  • Toad Harbor
  • Cloudtop Cruise
  • Wild Woods
  • N64 Yoshi Valley
  • 3DS DK Jungle
  • GBA Sunset Wilds
  • 3DS Wario Shipyard
Goomba Board
Board
A wooden board that breaks upon impact, slowing down racers that do so. They take the appearances of Goombas and bushes.
  • 3DS Piranha Plant Slide
Dry Piranha Plant
Bone Piranha Plant
An enemy that is situated within a large Warp Pipe and will lunge at racers as they pass it. If it successfully hits a racer, it will spin them out.
  • Bone-Dry Dunes
  • Conkdor Canyon
BooNSMBWii
Boo
A large enemy that slows down racer when they come in contact with them. In Twisted Mansion, Boos also inhabit statues and periodically slam hammers down onto the race course.
  • Twisted Mansion
  • Swooper House
  • GBA Broken Pier
BoulderMK8
Boulder
A large spherical rock that will roll down a hill. They will come indefinitely from an off-screen source.
  • Bowser's Castle
  • Conkdor Canyon
BouncingNotesMK8
Bouncing Notes
Large musical notes that bounce in time with the music, doing so at a faster rate each lap. They can flatten racers that get underneath them, but otherwise act as walls. Their jumps create shockwaves that racers can trick off of.
  • 3DS Music Park
BowserGolemMK8
Bowser Golem
A large statue of Bowser that will punch the ground at set intervals, its fists acting as walls. The shockwaves created by its punches can be tricked off of.
  • Bowser's Castle
  • GCN Bowser's Castle
Cataquack
Cataquack
A large bird-like creature that spins out racers when they touch them. They may chase after racers when they draw near.
  • GCN Peach Beach
MP9 Chain Chomp Bust
Chain Chomp
A large metallic creature that is chained to a post, lunging into the air towards racers when they get close to it. They spin out racers that touch them. In DS Peach Gardens, there is a Chain Chomp that roams free at the beginning of the course. It does not chase racers, but it will spin them out should they come in contact with it.
  • GBA Cheese Land
  • DS Peach Gardens
CheepCheepNSMBU
Cheep Cheep
A large enemy that slows down racer when they come in contact with them. They jump out of the water at random intervals.
  • DS Cheep Cheep Beach
  • Blurp Bay
ChompMK8
Chomp
Chomps are large metallic spheres that bounce up and down, creating shockwaves off which racers can perform tricks. Touching a Chomp will also spin a racer out.
  • N64 Rainbow Road
Conkdor - Super Mario 3D World
Conkdor
Much like Piranha Plants, Conkdors are long-necked enemies that try to attack nearby racers by slamming their beaks into the ground when they draw near.
  • Conkdor Canyon
CowMK8
Cow
Cows are quadruped animals that roam around certain areas at a slow speed, spinning out any racer that should come in contact with them.
  • Wii Moo Moo Meadows
  • Moo Moo Pasture
  • GBA Sunset Wilds
DekuBabaV
Deku Baba
Deku Babas are large carnivorous plants that lunge at racers as they get close enough to them.
  • Hyrule Circuit
Dry Bones MPSR
Dry Bones
Dry Bones are large skeletal Koopa Troopas that walk around small areas at a slow speed. They act as walls, slowing down racers that hit them. They will crumble when hit, respawning a short while later.
  • Bone-Dry Dunes
FireBarMK8
Fire Bar
Fire Bars are a chain of fireballs that spin around a single point, spinning out any racer that hits a fireball.
  • Bowser's Castle
  • DS Wario Stadium
  • GCN Wario Colosseum
Fire Snake SMWU
Fire Snake
Fire Snakes are a number of fireballs that bounce together as a single entity: a snake-like creature. They spin out any racer that hits them.
  • Wii Grumble Volcano
Freezie SM3DW
Freezie
A large icy creature that remains stationary. The Freezie will spin out any racer that touches it. Once a racer has hit it, it will shatter and respawn a second later.
  • GCN Sherbet Land
  • SNES Vanilla Lake 2
FrogoonMK8
Frogoon
Frogoons are small Frog-like enemies that appeared in Donkey Kong Country Returns. They hop up and down a few times, crossing through the course and spinning out any racers that may hit them.
  • 3DS DK Jungle
Goomba Artwork - Super Mario 3D World
Goomba
Goombas are small enemies and one of the weakest members of the Koopa Troop. They walk around slowly, and will spin out any racer that hits them. Lightning will defeat all Goombas on the course, and they will also be defeated should they be hit by an item; though they will respawn shortly after.
  • Mario Circuit
  • N64 Yoshi Valley
  • 3DS Piranha Plant Slide
Goomba Stack SM3DL
Goomba Tower
Goomba Towers are stacks of Goombas that vary in height. They act just as normal Goombas do, with the only difference being that they can be hit by gliding racers due to having so much height.
  • Mario Circuit
NSMB Minigame-Bowser Statue
Gray Bowser Statue
A Gray Bowser Statue is, as implied by its name, a grey statue of Bowser. It is embedded within a wall, and will fire a blue laser down at the ground that will spin out a racer.
  • Bowser's Castle
Splatoon Ink Puddle
Ink Puddle
An ink puddle is a puddle of ink that slows down any racer that enters it. Unlike grass and mud and other off-road materials, it discourages racers from boosting through it with mushrooms, as it will splash up and cover the racer with ink; blinding them just as a Blooper would. They come in both orange and blue colours.
  • Urchin Underpass
KeeseSS
Keese
Keese are small bats that fly together in swarms. They do not spin out racers that hit them, though they do act like walls, slowing them down on contact. Due to there being so many of them, it is challenging to avoid all of the Keese in the vicinity. They are reskins of the Swoop enemy that appear on other tracks.
  • Hyrule Circuit
Mecha-Koopa
Mechakoopa
Mecha-Koopas are large toy-like mechanical Koopas that wander back and forth slowly. Their large size means they take up a large portion of the road, making them challenging to avoid as they spin out any racer that hits them.
  • GBA Ribbon Road
Monty Mole NSMBU Solo
Monty Mole
A large enemy that digs around a set area, popping out of the ground at certain spots. Touching Monty Mole as he exits his hole and jumps into the air will cause a racer to spin out. Racers can perform tricks off of the trail he leaves behind and his hole.
  • Wii Moo Moo Meadows
  • SNES Donut Plains 3
  • DS Peach Gardens
  • Moo Moo Pasture
Resetti
Mr. Resetti
A large enemy that digs around a set area, popping out of the ground at certain spots. Touching Mr. Resetti as he exits his hole will cause a racer to spin out. Racers can perform tricks off of the trail he leaves behind and his hole. Mr. Resetti is essentially a reskin of the Monty Mole enemy, though does not jump into the air.
  • Animal Crossing (excluding Winter)
Electrogoomba
Octoomba
Octoomba are small enemies commonly found in a number of different galaxies. They walk around slowly, and will spin out any racer that hits them. Lightning will defeat all Octoombas on the course, and they will also be defeated should they be hit by an item; though they will respawn shortly after. They are reskins of Goombas, and act identically.
  • Topman Transitway
OilSlickMK8
Oil Slick
Oil Slicks are small pools of oil on the ground that spin out racers that touch them.
  • GBA Mario Circuit
Piranha Plant StationaryMK8
Piranha Plant
There exist two types of Piranha Plants: one variant sprouts from the ground and does not move, only spinning out any racer that may come in contact with it. The other type resides in a pipe and lunge at racers as they get close enough to them. Some of the Piranha Plants of the latter variant bite only in a single direction, while others may face different sides at different points in the race. The latter variant may also come in larger sizes.
  • N64 Royal Raceway
PiranhaPlantSM3DL
Piranha Plant
  • Sweet Sweet Canyon
  • Mario Circuit
  • Electrodrome
  • 3DS Music Park
  • 3DS Piranha Plant Slide
  • GCN Yoshi Circuit
PokeyNSMBU
Pokey
Pokeys are tall enemies that saunter back and fourth, spinning out any racer that hits them. They will occasionally bend over, and a coin will spawn in the archway they create. They can be temporarily defeated by hitting them with shells, and they will also disappear for a short time when lightning strikes, but will always respawn soon after.
  • GCN Dry Dry Desert
ScreamingPillarMK8
Screaming Pillar
Screaming Pillars are large pillars of stones with faces that scream at random intervals, blowing air that push airborne racers.
  • 3DS DK Jungle
ShyGuy
Shy Guy
A large enemy that dances around a large area, spinning out any racer that touches them.
  • GCN Sherbet Land
SidestepperMK8
Sidestepper
Sidesteppers are small little crab-like creatures that, as their name implies, sidestep, wandering back and forth a set distance. They spin out any racer that touches them.
  • DS Cheep Cheep Beach
  • 3DS Wario Shipyard
  • GCN Peach Beach
  • Peach Pier
SnowmanNL
Snowboy
The Snowboy is a stationary obstacle that breaks on contact, slowing down the racer that crashes into it. It will respawn after a short while after being broken. It is a reskin of the Snowman obstacle that appears on other courses.
  • Animal Crossing (Winter)
SnowmanMK8
Snowman
The Snowman is a stationary obstacle that breaks on contact, slowing down the racer that crashes into it. It will respawn after a short while after being broken.
  • GCN Sherbet Land
SpinnerMK8
Spinner
A Spinner is a spiked ball on a pendulum that swings back and forth quickly, spinning out any racer that hits them.
  • Bowser's Castle
SuperThwompK8
Super Thwomp
Thwomps are large rectangular enemies that crash into the ground at set intervals, flattening those directly under them. Unlike normal Thwomps, even should they be on the ground, they spin out any racer that touches them.
  • SNES Rainbow Road
  • GBA Rainbow Road
Swoop SMR
Swoop
Swoops are small bats that fly together in swarms. They do not spin out racers that hit them, though they do act like walls, slowing them down on contact. Due to there being so many of them, it is challenging to avoid all of the Swoops in the vicinity.
  • Wii Wario's Gold Mine
  • Blizzard Badlands
  • Swooper House
  • Blurp Bay
Thwomp2
Thwomp
Thwomps are large rectangular enemies that crash into the ground at set intervals, flattening those directly under them, and acting as a wall for any racer that may crash into them when they are on the ground.
  • Thwomp Ruins
  • N64 Bowser's Castle
  • GCN Bowser's Castle
150px-TikiGoon
Tiki Goon
Tiki Goons are small, drum-like Tikis that appeared as common enemies in Donkey Kong Country Returns. They bounce side-to-side a set distance indefinitely.
  • 3DS DK Jungle
SpikyTopman
Topman
Topmen, specifically Spiky Topmen, are small spinning top-like creatures that spin out any racer that hits them. They travel around small areas, much like Goombas do, but at a slightly higher speed.
  • Topman Transitway

Background Characters

These characters do not directly interact with any of the racers, instead only appearing as scenery or as audience members. A Fishing Lakitu also appears as a guide for the racers, and holds up the starting light at the beginning of the race, a sign to tell racers they are going the wrong way, and will rescue racers that fall off the course. A number of characters from the Animal Crossing series also make cameo appearances as spectators on the Animal Crossing course, and Jellyfish (from Splatoon) appear on the Urchin Underpass course.

Items

All items return from the original Mario Kart 8, though some have seen changes while other new items have been added into the game.

One of the game's major changes is the ability to hold two items at once. Just as in the original Mario Kart 8, holding an item behind the player's vehicle does not remove it from their inventory as it did in previous games; instead, a second inventory slot has been added, with that second item moving to the primary slot once the other item has been used.

New Items

The Blue Coin is a new item. It gives the user five coins when used. They may also seldom spawn on race courses in place of gold coins.

The Double Cherry is a new item that clones the item in the opposite item slot. Even if the player has no other item, the Double Cherry will inhabit the secondary item slot, and will clone the next item that the user collects.

The Boo returns after last being seen in Mario Kart DS. The Boo turns the user invisible and make them invincible for a short time, allowing them to travel through items and other racers. The Boo will also steal the item of the first racer ahead of the user that has an item.

After being absent from the original version of Mario Kart 8, the Fake Item Box makes a return in this port. The item sports a new design, being a mirrored version of the original Item Box but with a duller colour scheme. It can be dropped behind the racer or thrown ahead, but it will not block items when carried behind the racer like a Banana or shell does.

The Freezie is a new item. Much like the Freezies found on GCN Sherbet Land, they simply spin out any racer that touches them, though they leave behind an icy trail that reduces traction when driven across. It can be thrown forwards or backwards and travel forwards slowly, shattering upon hitting a wall.

The Cape Feather appears exclusively in the Battle Mode, and marks the items first appearance in the Mario Kart series since Super Mario Kart. The Cape Feather forces the user into a large jump, which can be used to jump over shorter walls, items, and other racers.

Mario Kart 8 Items

Two coins can be obtained as an item. Coins also appear on the course, and can be collected by making contact with them. Coins are replaced with Green Rupees on Hyrule Circuit and Bells on Animal Crossing.

The Green Shell can be thrown forwards or backwards in a straight line, and will ricochet off a few walls before shattering. The shell will also shatter should it hit a racer. Triple Green Shells can also be obtained, which circle the user until they throw them one-at-a-time.

The Banana is a stationary item that can be thrown forwards or dropped behind the user. It stays still once placed on the course, and will disappear after a long while or when a racer hits it. Triple Bananas can also be obtained, which circle the user until they throw them one-at-a-time.

The Red Shell can be thrown forwards, and will hone in on the racer in the place ahead of the user, but will shatter should it hit a wall or an item in its way. If thrown backwards, the Red Shell will travel directly backwards, but will also break should it hit an item or wall. Triple Red Shells can also be obtained, which circle the user until they throw them one-at-a-time. The Red Shells' tracking has been improved over the original Mario Kart 8.

The Boomerang Flower allows the user to throw a Boomerang, which travels a set distance and will go through other racers. The user can throw the boomerang three times, as it will return to the user twice. The Boomerang disappears from the user's inventory after being thrown, meaning they can use and obtain other items after each throw.

The Fire Flower allows the user to throw a plethora of fireballs at other racers for a short time. The fireballs only travel a short distance before disappearing, and can also bounce off walls.

The Potted Piranha Plant places a potted Piranha Plant on the front of their vehicle, which bites at nearby foes and items when the user draws near. The user can also press the item button or hold it down to force the Piranha Plant to bite, which also makes its use timer deplete faster. The Piranha Plant has been slightly changed in that the Piranha Plant's timer is shorter.

The Mushroom will, when used, grant the user a temporary speed boost, allowing them to travel off-road with no consequence. Triple Mushrooms can also be obtained, which circle the user until they are used one-at-a-time. A Golden Mushroom is another variant of the Mushroom item. The Golden Mushroom grants the user an unlimited number of short speed boosts for a short time.

The Bullet Bill will grant the user total invincibility, and take control of the user's vehicle for a short amount of time as they are transformed into the Bullet Bill. The transformed racer will barrel down any opponent in their path, and will destroy any items they come in contact with. The Bullet Bill remains in the user's inventory until it ceases and the user is transformed back to normal.

The Super Horn allows the player to create a shockwave around their vehicle that can flip opponents and destroy other items - including the Spiny Shell.

The Blooper will spray ink on all of the racers ahead of the user, temporarily covering their screens and lowering their traction. If the Blooper is used by the player in first place, the Blooper will target them instead.

The Star grants the user invincibility for a short time, and also increases their speed to allow them to travel off-road with no consequences. While active, racers can obtain other items, as the Star disappears from their inventory immediately after being used.

The Bob-omb will explode a short time after being thrown, or when an item or racer hits it. If it is thrown off-road, the Bob-omb will walk back onto the course, should it be close enough.

The Lightning causes all racers, apart from the user and those currently under the effects of a Star or Buller Bill, to shrink and drop their items. If racers are holding items behind them, or should they have triple items orbiting their vehicle, the items will be dropped onto the course after they shrink. While shrunk, all racers are much slower, and can be flattened by others who are their normal sizes. Racers will return to normal size in backwards order from when the Lightning was used, with the racer in twelfth place being afflicted for much less time than the racer in first.

The Crazy Eight summons eight different items that surround the user's kart. The user can use any of these items by pressing the item button; the item used is the one currently directly in front of the driver. The eight items that appear are: a coin, a Bob-omb, a Mushroom, a Star, a Blooper, a Green Shell, a Red Shell, and a Banana.

The Spiny Shell is a deadly item that hones in on the racer currently in first place, exploding upon them oce it reaches them. As the Spiny Shell also travels along the ground, it may also barrel down any other racer in its path to the first place racer. The racer that is being targeted by the Spiny Shell may destroy it by using a Super Horn, or can avoid it by being invincible (either by a Star or Bullet Bill) or by timing the use of a Mushroom correctly.

Vehicle Parts

There are three types of vehicle parts: tires, bodies, and gliders. In addition to these three types of parts, there are four different types of vehicle types that are defined by their body types: karts, outside-drift (OD) motorbikes, inside-drift (ID) motorbikes, and ATVs. Some body types change colour depending on the character that is using it; some additional bodies will change only should certain characters use them.

Some parts must be unlocked before they can be used. Parts can be unlocked by collecting coins, with a random unlockable part becoming usable when the player's cumulative number of coins reaches a certain amount; every 50 coins up until the player collects 1000 coins, then a part is unlocked for every 100 coins collected. There are three exceptions: the Gold Tires are unlocked by beating the Staff Ghost on every course in the base game, the Gold Glider is unlocked when the player obtains a cumulative 10,000 coins, and the Gold Standard is unlocked when the player obtains a minimum one-star ranking on every cup in Grand Prix.

The following values are shown out of 6, and a majority have been taken from the Mario Wiki's "Mario Kart 8" page. The stats report information relative to the values of the Standard Kart, Standard Tires, and Super Gliders. According to the in-game data, their stats are as follows, once again listed out of six:

Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Mini-Turbo Traction
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity On-Road Off-Road
Standard Kart 3 3 2 4 2 2 2 2 1 3 3 2 5
Standard Tires 2 4 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 4
Super Glider 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Mario Kart 8 parts

With the exception of the vehicle parts released in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, all parts return from Mario Kart 8.

Kart Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Standard Kart 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pipe Frame 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
Mach 8 +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Steel Driver 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Cat Cruiser 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Circuit Special +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Tri-Speeder 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Badwagon 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Prancer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Biddybuggy -0.75 +0.5 +0.5 -1 +1.25 -0.5 +0.5 +0.75 +0.75 0 -0.25 +1
Landship -0.75 +0.5 +0.5 -1 +1.25 -0.5 +0.5 +0.75 +0.75 0 -0.25 +1
Sneeker 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sports Coupe +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Blue Falcon +0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 0 0 -0.5 0
Tanooki Kart 0 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 -0.5 +0.25 -0.5
B Dasher +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Streetle +0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 0 0 -0.5 0
P-Wing +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Gold Standard +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Bike Bodies
(Outside drift)
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Standard Bike 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
The Duke 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Flame Rider 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
Varmint 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
Mr. Scooty -0.75 +0.5 +0.5 -1 +1.25 -0.5 +0.5 +0.75 +0.75 0 -0.25 +1
City Tripper 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
Bike Bodies
(Inside drift)
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Comet 0 0 0 -0.25 +0.75 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 +0.75 +0.5 -1.25 +0.5
Sport Bike 0 0 0 -0.25 +0.75 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 +0.75 +0.5 -1.25 +0.5
Jet Bike 0 0 0 -0.25 +0.75 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 +0.75 +0.5 -1.25 +0.5
Yoshi Bike 0 0 0 -0.25 +0.75 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 +0.75 +0.5 -1.25 +0.5
Master Cycle +0.25 +0.5 +0.5 -0.25 0 0 +0.5 +0.5 +0.75 +0.5 -0.75 0
ATV Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Standard ATV 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Wild Wiggler 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
Teddy Buggy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bone Rattler 0 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 -0.5 +0.25 -0.5
Tires
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Standard Tires 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Monster 0 -0.5 -0.5 0 -0.5 +0.5 -0.75 -0.75 -0.75 -0.75 +0.75 -0.5
Roller -0.5 0 +0.5 -0.5 +1 -0.5 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +1
Slim +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 -0.25
Slick +0.5 -1 +0.5 +0.5 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 0 -1 -0.25
Button -0.5 0 +0.5 -0.5 +1 -0.5 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +1
Off-Road 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sponge -0.25 -1 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 -0.5 0 -0.25 +0.5 +0.25
Wood -0.25 -1 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 -0.5 0 -0.25 +0.5 +0.25
Cushion -0.25 -1 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 -0.5 0 -0.25 +0.5 +0.25
Blue Standard 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hot Monster 0 -0.5 -0.5 0 -0.5 +0.5 -0.75 -0.75 -0.75 -0.75 +0.75 -0.5
Azure Roller -0.5 0 +0.5 -0.5 +1 -0.5 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +1
Crimson Slim +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 -0.25
Cyber Slick +0.5 -1 +0.5 +0.5 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 0 -1 -0.25
Metal +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 +0.5 0 0 0 0 -0.5 -0.5
Retro Off-Road 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Triforce Tires +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 -0.25
Leaf Tires -0.5 0 +0.5 -0.5 +1 -0.5 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +1
Gold Tires +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 +0.5 0 0 0 0 -0.5 -0.5
Gliders
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Super Glider 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cloud Glider 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Wario Wing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Waddle Wing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Peach Parasol 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Parachute 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Parafoil 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Flower Glider 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Bowser Kite 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Plane Glider 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MKTV Parafoil 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Hylian Kite 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Paper Glider 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gold Glider 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

New parts

Several new vehicle parts are brought back from previous games - primarily Mario Kart 7 - in addition to a handful of brand new parts created specifically for Super Mario Kart 8+. Rows that have blue backgrounds indicate that vehicle was released as downloadable content.

Kart Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Banisher 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Barrel Train +0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 0 0 -0.5 0
Birthday Girl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bowser Mobile 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bruiser +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Bumble V +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Cloud 9 +0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 0 0 -0.5 0
Funky Flyer 0 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 -0.5 +0.25 -0.5
Guardian Husk +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Koopa Clown 0 0 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 0 +0.5 +0.75 -0.5 +0.25 -0.5
Piranha Prowler 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Rambi Rider 0 0 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 0 +0.5 +0.75 -0.5 +0.25 -0.5
Red Fire 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
The Drake -0.75 +0.5 +0.5 -1 +1.25 -0.5 +0.5 +0.75 +0.75 0 -0.25 +1
Tiny Tug +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Bike Bodies
(Outside drift)
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Shooting Star 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Wario Bike 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
Zipper 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Bike Bodies
(Inside drift)
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Magikruiser +0.25 +0.5 +0.5 -0.25 0 0 +0.5 +0.5 +0.75 +0.5 -0.75 0
Dolphin Dasher 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
ATV Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Hocotate-S 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Inkstriker 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
Mechanica Build +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Shell Creeper 0 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 -0.5 +0.25 -0.5
Tires
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Flower +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 +0.5 0 0 0 0 -0.5 -0.5
Gear 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Groovy -0.5 0 +0.5 -0.5 +1 -0.5 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +1
Mushroom +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 -0.25
Shell +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 -0.25
Stone +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 -0.25
Gliders
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Funky Banner 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Ink Wing 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Playful Kite 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Stingby Kite 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25
Swooper 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25

Colour variants

Main article: Super Mario Kart 8+/Vehicle colour variants

A number of vehicles change colour depending on the character that uses it. These aesthetic changes are only made to allow for a diversity in vehicle appearances, and may be changed to fit a certain character's colour scheme.

Downloadable Content

There will be three downloadable content packs released for Super Mario Kart 8+. Each of these DLC packs contain three characters, eight courses, two stages for Battle Mode, three new vehicle bodies, and a varying number of wheels and gliders. Pre-purchasing the three DLC packs (or downloading each separately as they release) grants access to six alternate Sprixie Princesses immediately.

Mario Kart × Splatoon

Not-Shining Shine Sprite
Shine Cup
DLC
Luigi Circuit Delfino Market N64 Bowser's Castle Sand Ocean
SuperSeaSnail
Sea Snail Cup
DLC
GCN Peach Beach Urchin Underpass Gelato Square Wii Moonview Highway
Baloon2
Battle Stages
Inkopolis GBA Battle Course 2
Kart Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Red Fire 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
ATV Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Inkstriker 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
Shell Creeper 0 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 -0.5 +0.25 -0.5
Tires
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Stone +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 -0.25
Gliders
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Ink Wing 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25


Mario Kart × Pikmin

3-UpMoon
Moon Cup
DLC
Swooper House 3DS Rosalina's Ice World Red Canyon GCN Wario Colosseum
Pikmin 5 Pellet SSB4
Pellet Cup
DLC
DS Peach Gardens DK Slalom GBA Broken Pier Garden of Hope
Baloon2
Battle Stages
Mario Stadium Peach's Castle Courtyard
Kart Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
The Drake -0.75 +0.5 +0.5 -1 +1.25 -0.5 +0.5 +0.75 +0.75 0 -0.25 +1
Bike Bodies
(Outside drift)
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Wario Bike 0 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.5 +0.25
ATV Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Hocotate-S 0 +0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.5 -0.5 +0.75 -0.25 -0.75 +0.5 -0.75
Tires
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Shell +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 -0.25
Flower +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 +0.25 -0.5 +0.5 0 0 0 0 -0.5 -0.5


Mario Kart × ARMS

Propeller Box Artwork - Super Mario 3D World
Propeller Cup
DLC
Blurp Bay GCN Bowser's Castle Conkdor Canyon Topman Transitway
Red Switch Icon
Switch Cup
DLC
Shy Guy Carnival New Donk City SNES Vanilla Lake 2 GBA Rainbow Road
Baloon2
Battle Stages
Wii Funky Stadium GCN Pipe Plaza
Kart Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Funky Flyer 0 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.75 +0.75 -0.5 +0.25 -0.5
Tiny Tug +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
ATV Bodies
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Mechanica Build +0.5 +0.25 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -1 -0.5
Tires
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Gear 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gliders
Part Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Traction Mini-Turbo
Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity Ground Water Air Anti-Gravity
Funky Banner 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25

Miscellaneous Changes / Additions

  • Holding both ZL and ZR or SL and SR on the character or vehicle select screen now randomizes the chosen character or the chosen vehicle parts.
  • 200cc Practice mode has been added. This mode is near-identical to the Time Trial mode, as a single player is free to race alone on a course. Unlike Time Trials however, 200cc Practice is, as one would expect, set in 200cc. Players also do not get three Mushrooms, nor can they race ghosts.
  • Advanced options for versus races. Players can now create fully unique versus options, which they can save and share via the internet. Some of these new advanced options include the ability to disable the spawning of certain items, the respawn time for Item Boxes, and should there be more or fewer Item Boxes on courses.
  • The time it takes for the Item Roulette to end now depends on the engine class; 200cc has the Item Roulette last the least amount of time, while 50cc the longest.
    • This can also be adjusted in the advanced options for versus races.
  • In versus races, players have more options for the amount of racers they can set. They are also free to choose any number of races between 1 and 10.
  • The results screen now shows which places players placed in for each race beside their name; in versus mode, this should only happen if the player has played six races or fewer. Additionally, the background now changes and cycles through all courses that were played on.
  • In general, there are more spectators in courses.
    • Lumas now appear as background characters on Rainbow Road.
  • Alternate colour variants can now appear as CPU racers.
  • Characters now have idle animations, which will play should they remain still for long enough without accelerating.
  • There is a new settings menu, which allows players to change a variety of things.
    • Players can now disable the music or sound effects in races, whereas before they could only do so during replays.
  • Upon starting up the game, more characters may appear on the title screen.
  • The background of the character select menu now fades through a spectrum.
  • The game's main theme has been remixed.
    • Mario Kart Stadium's music has been changed, being a remix of this new version of the song.
  • Red Shell and Bullet Bill tracking has been improved.
  • Some characters have new voice clips.
    • The most notable change is that Link's voice clips have been completely redone by Kengo Takanashi, with some clips being reused from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
    • Some characters now have different voice clips depending on their variant; for instance, Red Dry Bones' voice clips are deeper than the other Dry Bones' with an echo effect applied to them.
  • Just as in Mario Kart 7, hitting the brake in the air while gliding will now close the glider. This can not be done in segments that force racers to use the glider, however (such as in Sweet Sweet Canyon, for instance).
  • If a racer performs a trick underwater, they now get a boost upon touching the ground, whereas before they would gain a boost right after performing the trick.
  • CPU racers can now choose from a larger number of vehicles.
    • Advanced options also allow players to customize the vehicles of all/individual CPU characters. Players can also entirely randomize CPU vehicle choices, disregarding their restrictions.
      • If CPUs are set to 'hard' difficulty, their vehicle restrictions will automatically be removed as well.
    • Some CPU racers also have different sets of vehicles to choose from in 200cc mode.
  • AI for CPU racers has been improved for 200cc.
  • Some areas where Lakitu would rescue racers have been altered.
    • In N64 Toad's Turnpike, racers can now fly over the inside railing, with Lakitu now picking up racers should they go over the hill.
    • In Cloudtop Cruise and Sweet Sweet Canyon, Lakitu will now place the racer at the beginning of the first gliding section of both tracks should they be closer to that side when they fell.
    • Players can now touch the ceiling while gliding in the roofed segments of DS Tick-Tock Clock and 3DS Music Park.
  • In N64 Toad's Turnpike, racers will now finish the race/lap even should they hit the banner of the finish line.

Development

The game originally began development as a direct port of Mario Kart 8 with an enhanced Battle Mode added; this was done to allow for a Super Mario title to be released at the Nintendo Switch's launch. After having ported the game and created the Battle Mode with much time until the system's release, the team at Nintendo EPD opted to include several new characters and new courses. Initially, only King Boo, Birdo, and Bowser Jr. were planned to be added to the game. All other new characters, including those that are unlocked through the using of amiibo, were created by a separate team at Existence Software alongside the four returning Battle Courses: Battle Course 1 from Super Mario Kart, Sherbet Rink from Mario Kart 7, Tart Top from Mario Kart DS, and Block Fort from Mario Kart 64. The game was retitled from "Mario Kart 8+" to "Super Mario Kart 8+" as a result of these many additions.

Following the game's launch, Existence Software received permission from Nintendo to continue supporting the game, and released three downloadable content packs afterwards, each being a collaboration with another Nintendo franchise. The final DLC pack was initially proposed to Nintendo as a second collaboration with the Legend of Zelda series, though Yoshiaki Koizumi instead suggested including Spring Man from ARMS to promote the new IP.

Beta elements

Several elements seen in promotional artwork or within the game's data were removed or changed from the final game. One of the most prominent changes was that courses that had different English names across regions (such as Melody Motorway/Music Park) retained this distinction, while in the final game they instead share their North American English names worldwide.

The Cape Feather, which appears as an item in Battle Mode, could originally be obtained in races as well. This was likely removed as players could jump over certain barricades. Screenshots released prior to the game's release also showed that Red Coins could be found on courses, but none are present in the final game. Additionally, Fake Item Boxes originally had their Mario Kart Wii designs in the initial reveal trailer for the game, likely used as placeholders until the final design was finished.

Some courses had their names changed in the final game. According to the game's internal data, Royal Resort was known as Delfino Bay and Yoshi Mound as Yoshi Hills. Screenshots initially showed that the banners hanging above both courses' starting lines had these names printed on them, as opposed to the stylized Mario Kart logos that appear in the final game.

There exist unused kart emblems for Noki and Magikoopa in the game's coding, hinting they were to be playable at one point in development. There are unused animations for a character named "Terenn", which is the Japanese name for Peepa, suggesting that a Peepa was playable until late within the development period. Additionally, textures exist in the data suggesting that Stone Spike was originally intended to be an alternate colour variant for Spike.

Upon the reveal of the first DLC pack, Nintendo of Europe released a screenshot of Gelato Square with a caption calling it Sherbet Square, suggesting that was its original name; in-game data refers to the course as "winter". Famitsu also erroneously reported that Alph was to be added as a playable character alongside Olimar in the Mario Kart × Pikmin DLC pack, though it is unknown whether this was a simple error or Alph was at one point planned to be playable as well. Lastly, New Donk City was originally known as Waddlewing Heights.

amiibo Functionality

As with the original Mario Kart 8, amiibo are compatible with Super Mario Kart 8+. Unlike the original game, as Mii characters are absent, players can instead scan amiibo to unlock certain variants of the scanned character. The characters occupy separate character select spots and may feature unique voice clips, stats, and animations from their normal counterparts. All of these characters would later be released separately as paid DLC.

Five characters were originally made available in Version 1.1, which was released in April 2017. Five more were released in May 2018.

Version 1.1

Version 3.2

References to other games

Game Reference(s)
Mario Bros.
Arcade · 1983
  • The Shell Creeper, a downloadable ATV body, is named after and based on an enemy from this game.
  • The Freezie item acts near-identically to the Freezie enemy from this game.
Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race
Famicom Disk System · 1987
  • A sign in Water Park shows an "original 1987 model" submarine. Additionally, this was the first racing game in which Mario starred.
Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally
Famicom Disk System · 1988
  • The Mario Motors logo can be seen from the starting line of Mario Circuit. Artwork of Mario from this game can also be seen above the logo.
Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo Entertainment System · 1985
  • Carpets and vases present in Bone-Dry Dunes feature enemy sprites from this game.
  • The beanstalk segment of Cloudtop Cruise features a large ? Block at its base, similar to how beanstalks would sprout from them in this game.
  • The theme that plays in the tunnel section of Super Bell Subway features pieces of the underground theme from this game.
  • There exists graffiti in Super Bell Subway of World 1-2 from this game.
Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic
Famicom Disk System · 1987
  • An advertisement for Shy Guy Metals seen on Toad Harbor mentions that the company has been around since 1987; Shy Guys originally debuted in Doki Doki Panic, which was released this year.
  • Sprites and artwork from this game appear on a variety of stands in Shy Guy Carnival.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Nintendo Entertainment System · 1988
  • Cloudtop Cruise features several elements from this game, the most notable of which are the Airships.
  • Gray Bowser Statues from this game appear within Bowser's Castle.
  • Sprites of the Angry Sun from this game appear on pieces of fabric in Bone-Dry Dunes.
Super Mario World
Super Nintendo Entertainment System · 1990
  • Dolphins appear in Dolphin Shoals and on several advertisements.
  • A Spinner - known in this game as Ball 'n' Chain - appears in Bowser's Castle.
  • The Cape Feather appears as an item and as quill pens in Sunshine Airport.
  • Tanooki Mario's horn is the sound effect used for the spin jump and cape attack from this game.
Super Mario Kart
Super Nintendo Entertainment System · 1992
  • Four race courses return from this game:
    • Donut Plains 3
    • Rainbow Road
    • Choco Island 2
    • Vanilla Lake 2
  • One battle stage returns from this game:
    • Battle Course 1
  • A portion of the title screen theme is a remix of the main theme from this game.
  • The name of Super Mario Kart 8+ is a reference to the name of this game.
    • When the game was originally announced, the game's logo predominately featured the Super Mario Kart logo.
Super Mario 64
Nintendo 64 · 1996
  • Some of Tanooki Mario's voice clips are reused from this game.
  • The merry-go-round music from Big Boo's Haunt plays in the Aqua Cups ride that appears in Water Park.
Mario Kart 64
Nintendo 64 · 1996
  • Five race courses return from this game:
    • Toad's Turnpike
    • Royal Raceway
    • Yoshi Valley
    • Rainbow Road
    • Bowser's Castle
  • One battle stage returns from this game:
    • Block Fort
  • A sign on Toad's Turnpike advertising a highway advisory radio station reads 64 MHz, referencing both this game and the system it was released for.
  • The Fake Item Box, which debuted in this game, appears as an item.
Super Mario Advance
Game Boy Advance · 2001
  • Some of Tanooki Mario's voice clips are reused from this game.
  • Robirdo appears in Shy Guy Carnival
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Game Boy Advance · 2001
  • Six race courses return from this game:
    • Mario Circuit
    • Cheese Land
    • Ribbon Road
    • Sunset Wilds
    • Broken Pier
    • Rainbow Road
  • One battle stage returns from this game:
    • Battle Course 2
  • Cloudtop Cruise shares its Japanese name, Sky Garden, with a course from this game.
Luigi's Mansion
Nintendo GameCube · 2001
  • The titular mansion appears in the background of Baby Park.
  • Both Twisted Mansion and Swooper House feature elements from this game.
Super Mario Sunshine
Nintendo GameCube · 2002
  • Shine Sprites appear as the logo of Sunshine Airport.
  • The serial numbers plastered on crates in Sunshine Airport is "55402MS", referencing the European release date of this game - Oct 4th, 2002 - and the game's title - Mario Sunshine.
  • Tanooki Mario reuses voice clips from this game.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Nintendo GameCube · 2003
  • Seven race courses return from this game:
    • Dry Dry Desert
    • Sherbet Land
    • Yoshi Circuit
    • Baby Park
    • Peach Beach
    • Wario Colosseum
    • Bowser's Castle
  • One battle stage returns from this game:
    • Pipe Plaza
  • Pressing the item button when the player has no item has them use their horn instead, just like in this game.
  • Characters hold items in their hand, like in this game.
  • Like the Rainbow Road from this game, N64 Rainbow Road is set in space above a city.
  • The Barrel Train kart returns as a kart body.
    • The Red Fire from this game also returns as a downloadable kart body.
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
Game Boy Advance · 2004
  • Artwork of Yoshi from this game appears as a firework on Rainbow Road.
Mario Kart DS
Nintendo DS · 2005
  • Four race courses return from this game:
    • Cheep Cheep Beach
    • Wario Stadium
    • Tick-Tock Clock
    • Peach Gardens
  • One battle stage returns from this game:
    • Tart Top
  • The B-Dasher, Banisher, and Rambi Rider vehicles return from this game.
Super Mario Galaxy
Wii · 2007
  • A Luma appears as the logo for Galaxy Air, seen in Sunshine Airport.
  • A Luma appears on the trophy for the Star Cup.
  • A remix of Gusty Garden Galaxy's theme from this game is included in the theme for Cloudtop Cruise.
  • Grand Stars are used for the emblems of Rosalina and Baby Rosalina.
  • Launch Stars appear on N64 Rainbow Road, albeit with a different appearance.
  • A Grand Star appears in the background of N64 Rainbow Road.
Mario Kart Wii
Wii · 2008
  • Five race courses return from this game:
    • Moo Moo Meadows
    • Grumble Volcano
    • Wario's Gold Mine
    • Daisy Circuit
    • Moonview Highway
  • One battle stage returns from this game:
    • Funky Stadium
  • Various characters reuse voice clips from this game.
  • Twelve player races return.
  • Motorbikes return.
  • The ability to perform tricks returns.
  • Coconut Café, which appeared in Coconut Mall from this game, reappears in Super Bell Subway.
  • There is an advertisement for Fountain Café in Super Bell Subway, which is another business present in Coconut Mall.
  • The Piranha Prowler, Shooting Star, Zipper, Magikruiser, and Dolphin Dasher vehicles all reappear from this game.
    • The Wario Bike also returns in downloadable content.
Mario Super Sluggers
Wii · 2008
  • Several characters reuse voice clips from this game.
  • Mario Stadium, in its appearance from this game, appears as a battle stage available as DLC.
  • Toad, Dry Bones, and Pianta reuse their alternate colour variants from this game.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Wii · 2010
  • Cloudtop Cruise's music includes a remix of the Sky Station Galaxy's theme from this game.
  • The tunnel in Dragon Driftway is based off Gobblegut, a boss from this game.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Wii · 2009
  • Propeller Toad Transport, a company that appears in Sunshine Airport, uses a Propeller Mushroom in its logo; which debuted in this game.
Super Mario 3D Land
Nintendo 3DS · 2011
  • Goomba Towers appear in Mario Circuit.
  • The Biddybuggy resembles a Para-Biddybud from this game.
  • The Boomerang Flower from this game appears as an item.
  • Statue Mario, in his appearance from this game, appears in one of Tanooki Mario's tricks.
  • A silhouette of Tanooki Mario's artwork from this game appears on the back of the Leaf Cup.
  • White Tanooki Mario, which appears as an alternate colour variant for Tanooki Mario, debuted in this game.
Mario Kart 7
Nintendo 3DS · 2011
  • Mario Kart 8 was released as a followup to this game, and uses a similar naming scheme. As such, several gameplay elements, including the ability to glide and drive underwater and the customizable vehicles, return from this game.
  • Five race courses return from this game:
    • DK Jungle
    • Music Park
    • Piranha Plant Slide
    • Wario Shipyard
    • Rosalina's Ice World
  • One battle stage returns from this game:
    • Sherbet Rink
  • A number of different vehicle parts return in this game, though some have been redesigned in certain ways or only their names return from previous games.
    • These vehicles include Banisher, Barrel Train (which first appeared in Double Dash!!), Birthday Girl, Bumble V, Cloud 9, and Koopa Clown. The Tiny Tug also returns as downloadable content.
  • The point system used in this game, where all racers get a point no matter whatever place they come in, returns in this game.
  • The music that plays on the final lap of most courses have an extra beat added to them, much like in this game, as opposed to other instalments in which the music that plays during other laps is simply sped up.
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Nintendo 3DS · 2012
  • There is a statue of a Boohemoth above the entrance to Twisted Mansion.
  • Bone Piranha Plants appear on Bone-Dry Dunes.
  • Yellow Koopa Troopa, Yellow Paratroopa, and Yellow Lakitu resemble their Golden variants from this game.
New Super Mario Bros. U
Wii U · 2012
  • There is a glider based on the Waddlewing enemy from this game.
  • The Mecha Cheep enemy from this game appears as a background character.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Nintendo 3DS · 2013
  • Swooper House features elements from this game.
  • The theme that plays on the Swooper House course is a remix of the Gloomy Manor theme from this game.
Super Mario 3D World
Wii U · 2013
  • The Potted Piranha Plant and Double Cherry items from this game appears as items.
  • The Super Bell and Double Cherry items from this game appears as symbols for the Bell Cup and Cherry Cup, respectively.
  • Several images used as stamps from this game appear as fireworks in N64 Rainbow Road.
  • The Double Cherry appears on an advertisement for Tropical Grocer, which can be seen in Toad Harbor.
  • Cat Peach appears as a playable character.
  • Bowser's car that he drives in some of his boss battles from this game appears as a kart named Bowser Mobile.
  • Conkdor Canyon shares its name with a level from this game.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Nintendo DS · 2006
  • Mini Toads appear at the starting line of GBA Ribbon Road
Donkey Kong Country
Super Nintendo Entertainment System · 1994
  • The Funky Flyer kart is based off the design of Funky Kong's plane from this game.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Super Nintendo Entertainment System · 1995
  • The appearance of the Funky Banner, a downloadable glider, is taken directly from this game; Funky Kong had a large banner outside of his store that read "FUNKY flights".
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
Game Boy Advance · 2003
  • The Wario Bike, which appears as a downloadable bike body, first debuted in this game.
Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo 64 · 1999
  • Captain Falcon's taunt from this game - "Show me your moves" - appears on screens in Mute City.
  • The design, and name, of the Hocotate-S downloadable ATV body is based on the Hocotate Ship from this game.
  • The Drake, a downloadable kart body, is based on the appearance of the S.S. Drake from this game.
  • The Inkstriker, a downloadable ATV body, is named after an ability from this game, and its design incorporates the Inkstrike weapon itself.
  • Link and Zelda's appearances are based on their's from this game. Link's specifically is based on pre-release artwork, which depicts him wearing the Champion's Tunic and Hylian Trousers.
  • The Guardian Husk's design is based on that of the Guardian enemy from this game.
  • The downloadable ATV body, Mechanica Build, is named after a character from this game.
    • Additionally, the body resembles the mech that Mechanica uses.

Character debuts

Game Character
Donkey Kong
Arcade · 1981
  • Mario
  • Donkey Kong
Mario Bros.
Arcade · 1983
  • Luigi
Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo Entertainment System · 1985
  • Princess Peach
  • Toad
  • Bowser
  • Koopa Troopa
  • Koopa Paratroopa
  • Lakitu
  • Fire Mario power-up
    • Fire Mario
Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic
Nintendo Entertainment System · 1987
  • Birdo
  • Shy Guy
Super Mario Bros. 3
Nintendo Entertainment System · 1988
  • Tanooki Mario power-up
    • Tanooki Mario
  • Dry Bones
  • Lemmy Koopa
  • Larry Koopa
  • Iggy Koopa
  • Ludwig von Koopa
  • Wendy O. Koopa
  • Roy Koopa
  • Morton Koopa Jr.
  • Spike
  • Boom Boom
Super Mario Land
Game Boy · 1989
  • Princess Daisy
Super Mario World
Super Nintendo Entertainment System · 1990
  • Yoshi
  • Wiggler
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Game Boy · 1992
  • Wario
Donkey Kong Country
Super Nintendo Entertainment System · 1994
  • Diddy Kong
  • Funky Kong
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Nintendo Entertainment System · 1995
  • Baby Mario
  • Baby Luigi
Super Mario 64
Nintendo 64 · 1996
  • Metal Mario power-up
    • Metal Mario
  • King Bob-omb
Mario Tennis
Nintendo 64 · 2000
  • Waluigi
Luigi's Mansion
Nintendo GameCube · 2001
  • King Boo
Super Mario Sunshine
Nintendo GameCube · 2001
  • Bowser Jr.
  • Toadsworth
  • Pianta
  • Petey Piranha
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Nintendo GameCube · 2003
  • Toadette
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
2005 · Nintendo DS
  • Baby Peach
New Super Mario Bros.
2006 · Nintendo DS
  • Dry Bowser
Super Mario Galaxy
Wii · 2007
  • Rosalina
  • Honey Queen
  • Captain Toad
Mario Kart Wii
Wii · 2008
  • Baby Daisy
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Wii · 2009
  • Ice Mario power-up
    • Ice Luigi
Super Mario 3D Land
Nintendo 3DS · 2011
  • Pom Pom
  • Boomerang Mario power-up
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Nintendo 3DS · 2012
  • Gold Mario power-up
    • Gold Mario
    • Silver Mario
New Super Mario Bros. U
Wii U · 2012
  • Nabbit
Super Mario 3D World
Wii U · 2013
  • Sprixie Princess
  • Cat Mario power-up
    • Cat Peach
    • Meowser
  • Boomerang Peach
Mario Kart 8
Nintendo Switch · 2014
  • Baby Rosalina
  • Pink Gold Peach
Yoshi's Woolly World
Wii U · 2015
  • Yarn Yoshi
Super Mario Odyssey
Nintendo Switch · 2017
  • Tostarenan
WarioWare: Touched!
Nintendo DS · 2004
  • Ashley
  • Link
  • Zelda
  • Male Villager
  • Female Villager
  • Captain Olimar
  • Isabelle
  • Callie
  • Marie
  • Spring Man

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name English translation
Japanese スーパーマリオカート8+
Sūpā Mario Kāto 8+
Super Mario Kart 8+
French Super Mario Kart 8+
Spanish Súper Mario Kart 8+ Super Mario Kart 8+
German Super Mario Kart 8+
Dutch Mario Kart 8 Bijzonder
(pre-release)
Mario Kart 8 Special
(pre-release)
Super Mario Kart 8+
Italian Super Mario Kart 8+
Portuguese Super Mario Kart 8+
Russian супер марио карт 8+
Super Mario Kart 8+
Super Mario Kart 8+
Existence Software


This page is a work of fiction, and does not depict an actual product.
Super Mario Kart 8+
Playable Characters
Mario Kart 8 drivers FEATHER Baby Mario · Baby Luigi · Baby Peach · Baby Daisy · Baby Rosalina · Lemmy
LIGHT Toad · Toadette · Koopa Troopa · Shy Guy · Lakitu · Larry · Wendy · Isabelle
MEDIUM Peach · Daisy · Yoshi · Cat Peach · Female Villager
STANDARD Mario · Luigi · Tanooki Mario · Iggy · Ludwig · Male Villager
CRUISER Donkey Kong · Rosalina · Waluigi · Metal Mario · Pink Gold Peach · Roy · Link
HEAVY Bowser · Wario · Dry Bowser · Morton
New drivers FEATHER Paratroopa · Sprixie Princess
LIGHT Dry Bones · Toadsworth · Spike
MEDIUM Bowser Jr. · Diddy Kong · Ashley
STANDARD Birdo · Nabbit
CRUISER King Boo · Wiggler · Zelda
HEAVY Honey Queen · Pianta · King Bob-omb
Downloadable drivers FEATHER Yellow Sprixie Princess · Red Sprixie Princess · Blue Sprixie Princess · Light Blue Sprixie Princess · Orange Sprixie Princess · Purple Sprixie Princess
LIGHT Tostarenan · Olimar
MEDIUM Callie · Marie
STANDARD Spring Man
CRUISER Pom Pom
HEAVY Boom Boom · Funky Kong · Petey Piranha
via amiibo at launch Fire Mario · Ice Luigi · King Boo · Meowser · Gold Mario
Version 3.2 Yarn Yoshi · Captain Toad · Boomerang Peach · Silver Luigi · Wario
Alternate colours Green Paratroopa · Blue Paratroopa · Yellow Paratroopa · Blue Toad · Green Toad · Yellow Toad · Purple Toad · Red Koopa Troopa · Blue Koopa Troopa · Yellow Koopa Troopa · Green Shy Guy · Blue Shy Guy · Light Blue Shy Guy · Yellow Shy Guy · Pink Shy Guy · Black Shy Guy · White Shy Guy · Orange Shy Guy · Green Lakitu · Yellow Lakitu · Green Dry Bones · Blue Dry Bones · Red Dry Bones · Red Yoshi · Blue Yoshi · Light Blue Yoshi · Yellow Yoshi · Pink Yoshi · Black Yoshi · White Yoshi · Orange Yoshi · White Tanooki Mario · Pink Pianta · Yellow Pianta
Non-Playable Characters
Hazards Barrel · Bone Piranha Plant · Boo · Cataquack · Chain Chomp · Cheep Cheep · Conkdor · Deku Baba · Dry Bones · Fire Snake · Freezie · Frogoon · Goomba · Keese · Mechakoopa · Monty Mole · Mr. Resetti · Octoomba · Piranha Plant · Pokey · Screaming Pillar · Shy Guy · Sidestepper · Swoop · Thwomp · Tiki Goon
Background Characters Boo · Boomerang Bro. · Dry Bones · Fire Bro. · Fishbone · Goomba · Hammer Bro. · Jellybeam · Koopa Paratroopa · Lakitu · Luma · Mini Toad · Noki · Pianta · Shy Guy · Toad · Unagi · Yoshi · Blathers · Cyrus · K.K. Slider · Mabel · Reese · Rover · Sable · Tom Nook
Items
Mario Kart 8 items Coin · Green Shell · Triple Green Shells · Banana · Triple Bananas · Red Shell · Triple Red Shells · Boomerang Flower · Fire Flower · Potted Piranha Plant · Mushroom · Triple Mushrooms · Golden Mushroom · Bullet Bill · Super Horn · Blooper · Star · Bob-omb · Lightning · Crazy Eight · Spiny Shell
New items Blue Coin · Double Cherry · Boo · Fake Item Box · Freezie · Cape Feather
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